Improvement in alarm-locks



Tinten.

SETH A. ANDRUS, OF FARMERS VALLEY, VISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN ALARM-LOCKS.

Specitication forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,043, dated September18, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that l, SETH A. ANDRUs, ot' Farmers Valley, Monroe county,State ot' Yis- .consin, have invented a new and useful Improvement inAlarm-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which-Figure l is a side view of the lock when closed. Fig. 2 is a side view,showingits door T thrown open. Fig. 3 is a back-end view, a portion ofits rim having been broken away in order to show the hinge F. Fig. et isa front view, the door D being open. Fig. 5 is an under-side view ofplate J. Fig. Gis an end view of one of the cartridges.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of this invention is to produce a lock which cannot beburglariously opened without making an alarm by exploding a cartridgeand also a magazine of powder or other explosive material, suchexplosion endangering the burglar both from the cartridge and themagazine.

.l'ne letter Ardesignates the rim of the lock,

and E the back part. The part A and the four-sided rim are cast in onepiece. The side or part which is opposite thc part E is composed ot' adoor, T, which is hinged to thc rim on the lower side of the lock, andof a plate, J, which covers the magazine S. The inner side ot' thisplate is deeply grooved in two or more directions, in order to weakenit, so that it will be broken to pieces by the explosion of themagazine. The plate is riveted to the rim A and is loosely tted over theenlarged end ofthe hinge-bolt F, on which the bowB turns, the bolt beingmade with a shoulder, which is received into a countersink in the hub ofthe bow, whereby the latter is still kept secured by the bolt, whoseother end is held by the side E of the lock. The interior of the. lockis divided by a stout plate, U, into two chambers, to wit: the magazineSand the chamber which contains the tiring apparatus. This plate has anopening at its upper end to enable one to insert powder and otherexplosive material into the magazine, which hole is closed by ascrew-bolt, L. The lower part of the plate U has an orilice, R, which isexactly opposite the barrel X ofthe other chamber.

The upper rim, A, has an opening at its righthand end, observing Fig. 2,that receives the end Y of the -bow B, which enters the hole and goesinto the interior otlthe lock as far as the shoulder Q of the bow. Theend Y has two holes made through it transversely at such points thatthey will come below the bolts Z Z', which project through theright-hand rim A when the bow is shut down into the lock. The heads ofbolts Z Zl are numbered, so that they can be distinguished apart. Asmall bolt, L, is screwed into one or the other of these holes,according to thc position of the locking-bolt which is to be used.

. The bolts Z are screwed into the rim A in front ot' the end Y of thebow, the screwthreads being cut on them near their heads. Their ends arcattached to chains, which are connected by swivel-joints to thelong armH of the trigger I, which is pivoted on a post, V, that rises from theside E ot' the lock. The trigger l has a shoulder, lV, on its bottom,which engages with a dog, M, that projects from the upper side ot' thesliding barrel X when said barrel is moved toward the right. The barrelis open at both ends, and is arranged to move within a sleeve orthi1nble,N, fixed on the lowcr rim ofthe lock, against which it is heldfirmly by the post Y. The right hand of this sleeve is broken away alittle toshow the barrel, within which it is permitted to move to thefront rim, A, where its muzzle comes into coincidence with thedischarge-opening G.

The letter K designates a wrist, which is pivoted to the top of thebarrel near its inner or left-hand end, and it has' lugs on its freeend, upon which is hooked the free end of a spring, l), which isAsecured by a sctscrew to the upper rim, A, of the lock, the right-handend ofthe spring, beyond the screw, having a project-ion that comesagainst the rim and enables one to give the spring more force when thescrew is driven farther in.- The spring l) continually draws the barreltoward the plate U, which it strikes at the place ot' the orifice Itwhen the lug M is released from the catch or shoulder WV of the trigger.

That part of the bow which enters the lock is so made as to close theorice in the rim through which it passes, the outer part ot' the part Yhaving a tapering form below the shoulder Q.

The bow B and all the outer surface of the lock, excepting themagazine-plate J, are casehardened to prevent tiling or drilling intothe lock. The grooved inner side of the plate J is to be covered overwith phosphorus, and then with fulminating material, such as is used inmaking caps, so that any violent blow on the plate J will cause anexplosion. The joints of theplate J should be made water-tight withbees-wax or other suitable material.

A percussion-cartridge is placed in the muzzle ot' the barrel throughthe opening G; and in order to protect it, and also the bolts Z Z', frombeing interfered with by children or disturbed by accident, I haveprovided the door D, which incloses the right-hand side of the rim A,said door being kept closed'by a springlatch (l.

In order to cock the barrel one must push against the lug N, and so movethe barrel forward toward the oriiice G until the dog or trigger lcatches over the lug and holds the barrel.

To load the barrel, iirst shove a blank cartridge into its muzzlethrough the opening G, and press it firmly in, taking care not to touchor scratch it with the nail, lest it be exploded. Next, hold the lock inthe lett hand, with the door D and the oritice G from ones person. Thenpush the barrel into the sleeve until it is engaged by the trigger. Thenplace a balleartridge in the breech of the barrel. Place as manycartridges or as much powder as is thought necessary in the magazine,and then put the screw-plug L in its place. Next, shut the door T, passthe end Y ot' the bow into the lock, then. make a memorandum vot' thenumberof the bolt Z which is to be employed to lock the pin L of thebow, and place that bolt in the hole which is in a line between theshoulder Q and the pin L.

The hoo is otA the chains should be previously attached to the otherbolts before the door T is closed. One of the i'our bolts Z is short,the others, Z, are long, and two of the latter are connected by thechains J with the arm H ot` the trigger, so that if either of these twoare unscrewed and withdrawn the trigger is released from the barrel,which then is driven by spring P against plate U, exploding thecartridge, whose ball is sent out ofthe muzzle and through the orificeG, while the explosion ot' the cartridge communicates lire to the interior of the magazine through the priminghole R, the heads ot' theshells of the cartridges to be used being punctured at their centers topermit the explosion ofA the fulminate in the shells of the cartridgesto reach the magazine.

The balls of the cartridges have also holes,

that go clear through them to the powder in the shells. The object ofsuch holes is to permit tire from the opening G to reach the cartridgesand explode them. An explosive blank cartridge is placed in the openingG, the iian ge containing the fulminate being exposed on the outside ofthe opening, so that if a burglar tampers with such blank cartridge itwill be exploded and communicate fire to the ball-cartridge.

' \/Vhen locking by either of the lower holes, the blank or short bolt Zisplaced in the hole of the same range toward the bow from the bolt bywhich it is locked-that is to say, in the hole above the locking-bolt;but when locking by either of the upper holes, the short bolt is placedin either of the lower holes.

The screw-pin L is placed in the upper or lower hole ot the part Y ofthe bow, according to the position chosen for the locking-bolt, so as toserve as a catch against the bolt to hold the bow iirmly in, the lock.

llVhe-n a burglar nnscrews either of the chai n ed bolts, the chaintightens as the bolt is drawn out, the swivel turning with the bolt,while the other chain slackens till the dog or trigger I is pulled outotl engagement with the lug ot' 'the barrel, when the barrel is driven,as before explained, against the division-plate U with force enough toexplode the cartridge.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combinationofthe sliding barrel X, the trigger or dog I, the lug M ot' the barrel,and the sprin g P, substantially as described.

2. The bolts Z Z, constructed substantially as described, one being ashort bolt, in combination with the chains J ot' the trigger-arm H,substantially as described.

3. Forming a magazine, S, in the lock at one side of the barrel-chamber,substantially as described, with a priming-orifice, It, in the pathofthe sliding barrel, substantially as described.

4. Covering the magazine with a cover, J, weakened by grooves or theirequivalent-s, substantially as described.

BETH A. ANDRUS.

YVitnesses: p

SAMUEL Hovr, J onN ELLIS.

